Review: Tell Me by Abigail Strom

Title: Tell Me
Author: Abigail Strom
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 2017
RITA Category: Contemporary Romance - Mid Length
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Heroine: Jane, a nerdy bookstore owner who hasn't dated in awhile and spends most of her time working, reading, and working on her secret novel. Hero: Caleb, a tough, outdoorsy type who is also her sister's best friend and business partner, and crazy handsome. Um, yes to this all of this! I went into this book not knowing much about the set-up, but was instantly drawn into the story. Jane is shy yet sarcastic and doesn't have a ton of dating experience, and thinks she meets the perfect man until she finds out she's not his idea of a perfect woman. Meanwhile, Caleb hates staying in one place and has a hard time finding a reason to commit to one woman (or city, or country) for an extended period of time. Still, the fact that Caleb works with Jane's beautiful, adventurous sister means they get thrown together and, though their interests clash, they find (to their surprise) that they have great chemistry together. All of this taking place largely in a bookstore only added to how much this book spoke to me.

However, I went into Tell Me without knowing much about the plot, so I was not prepared for the sudden shift in tone about halfway through the story. This was in the description, so not a spoiler, but I hardly ever read the descriptions before I start a book, because I like to be surprised. Suddenly the plot totally changed, and it was a little jarring to go from cutesy romance to tragedy and grief. However, I really enjoyed Strom's writing style and I was already super invested in Jane and Caleb, so I powered through the sad bits and I'm glad I did. The shift in plot definitely contributed to the growth of the main characters, and I really liked that the length of time it took for them to (finally!) get together was realistically long and that they didn't fall in love over night. Even the side characters had inner lives and personal growth, which I appreciated.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers who like quirky heroines, opposites-attract romances, and who don't mind a bit of tragedy combined with their romance.